logo for print

 

detroit
Detroit Morningside Heights

DETROIT

U-SNAP-BAC Lives Up to Its Name

Median household income in Detroit falls far below the national average, and 40 percent of children live in poverty. Among major cities, Detroit has the highest percentage of single parents. Only 11 percent of residents hold a college degree. Unemployment is almost twice the national average. More than half of the families in Detroit own their own homes, but the economic benefits are not what they are in other cities, because many houses have been abandoned to decay. Rents are high, and many spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent.

But things are different in Morningside Commons, where a community development corporation (CDC) called U-SNAP-BAC (United Streets Networking And Planning Building A Community) launched a full court press—new construction, rehabilitation, community organizing and advocacy, and training for prospective homeowners in how to manage credit and become good neighbors.

Like most CDCs, U-SNAP-BAC has rallied both public and private sector funders to build affordable single-family homes and reversing declining housing standards. An early supporter of Morningside Commons was Living Cities, which invested funds from HUD as well as foundations and financial institutions in projects supported by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).

As with most successful projects, this early seed money generated additional funding. Morningside Commons went on to attract CDBG funds as well as support from sources including Bank One, Fifth-Third Bank, National City Bank and the City of Detroit.

In 2002 U-SNAP-BAC completed one of the most ambitious nonprofit housing construction projects ever undertaken in Detroit, building or renovating over 500 homes for varied income levels. As with earlier construction in Morningside Commons, most were sold immediately. The results impressed the City of Detroit so that it choose U-SNAP-BAC as the first nonprofit developer to work on a major neighborhood redevelopment project, Fox Creek, on Detroit’s east side. U-SNAP-BAC will invest its profits in projects elsewhere in the city, not only for housing redevelopment, but for empowering residents and instilling pride in Detroit.